Yesterday Mayor Michael Bloomberg delivered his final State of the City address, and not surprisingly, the focus of his talk was on making NYC an even greener place than it is now. In the speech, Bloomberg spoke prophetically of a reduced carbon footprint, increased composting and recycling, and adding electric car charging stations that could power up your vehicle in 30 minutes or less (compared to the current eight hour “fill” time). The mayor also spoke of what might perhaps be his magnum opus – a proposed ban on styrofoam.

“One product that is virtually impossible to recycle can never bio-degrades is Styrofoam,” Bloomberg said as he outlined a plan banning styrofoam food packaging from the many restaurants, street vendors and stores that make up the fabric of New York’s culinary culture. The ban will specifically target polystyrene foam products, which make up an estimated 20,000 tons in the city waste streams each year.

There’s no telling how restaurateurs will react to Bloomberg’s proposed styrofoam ban. But Bloomberg reasons that our current use of the product is costing taxpayers money, is destructive to the environment and potentially hazardous to our health.

Similar styrofoam bans have already taken effect in cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland and Seattle. If the legislation becomes a reality, New York would be the first major east coast city to enact such a policy.

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Good on Blooms. Certainly our city has been transformed in so many ways, for good and for ill, during his (seemingly endless) term in office. It is a blessing that it will end with this powerful resolution in Sandy\\\’s wake.